The Call of the Coven: A LitRPG novel (Shadow Kingdoms Book 2) Read online

  However, the stranger moves back slightly at my words – although is still keeping the weapon pointed towards me.

  “Interesting choice to rob their house, then,” she shoots back in reply.

  She is a muscular woman with bare arms, a chainmail vest, and skin which is smooth with a greenish hue. There are multiple narrow tentacles hanging down where a human’s hair would be. Her brown eyes look normal enough, but she’s definitely not human, and not a species that I recognize, either. I remember that in Dubasa, there are some rare sentient species that are specific to particular islands – and this is also the case in the more distant regions of the game world – though the likes of humans, elves, half-orcs and dwarves are much more common, and to a lesser extent felaxians and lizard folk.

  Behind her is another unfamiliar and unusual figure – a man with blue skin and long horns that curl around in a loop, their tips just below his chin. He holds a dagger loosely in his hand and has a long bow slung across his chest. He reminds me a bit of Madam Piket, a gang leader of sorts who helped us enter the city.

  “Tie her up,” says the woman curtly, and the man (or demon?) sheaths his dagger and pulls out some thick black cord.

  * * *

  Five minutes later I am seated in the kitchen of the coven, my hands tied behind my back. I didn’t feel I could resist, given that I had a sword pointed at my throat for the entire time. The demon-man was at least quite patient in his approach, and even checked at one point that the cords were not hurting me.

  Again, the surroundings haven’t changed greatly since I was last here – and I am strangely reassured to see one of the serving kobolds scuttle past. “Hey,” I call out, “you there! Please tell these two that I am a friend to this household. You recognize me, right?” But the little creatures scuttle away without even making any eye contact.

  They are, sadly, not too smart.

  But with no sign of Coruff or Maleki, it certainly doesn’t seem like the coven is still in charge here. Perhaps I am dealing with the house’s new owners.

  I glance around. Unarmed, my options are pretty limited. I can’t see any sharp knives, or a long object that I could use as a club. Even if I did manage to get something and free myself, I feel I’d struggle to get past this pair. And I have no magical powers that I can draw upon.

  No. I’m going to have to talk my way out.

  “Listen,” I say, addressing the woman, who has now sheathed her sword and is standing a couple of feet away, hands on hips, staring down at me. “I know it must have seemed strange to find me here. I can understand that it looked to you like I was robbing the house or something. But I mean no harm, I promise you.”

  She scratches the side of her nose, her tentacles waggling slightly as she does so. “No harm, right,” she says, a slight twitch of her eyebrows in response. “It seemed a little more than strange, I might say. We have guards on the entrances – how did you get in?”

  This is a hard thing to explain to NPCs – but in my experience they are usually very incurious about it! When a character is in bed, they are invulnerable and invisible. This pair may have searched the house several times and found no sign of me. And then, logging back on, I suddenly appear. At least they don’t witness characters disappearing with their own eyes, for the game only allows you to do this when away from conversations, fights, or any other situation where you are interacting.

  For want of a better explanation, I decide to blame magic – most citizens of Shadow Kingdoms are superstitious enough to just accept such tales. As long as they are not too violently prejudiced…

  “I came here with two spellcasters,” I say. “But it was a few weeks ago, that’s the thing. I’ve been in… I suppose you could call it a magical, invisible sleep. And I’ve only just awoken.”

  My two captors exchange long meaningful glances, until the woman pulls over another chair and sits directly opposite me, her face now just inches from mine.

  “A magical sleep,” she repeats. “Thanks for that information. Any other children’s stories you’d like to tell me?”

  “I… I’m sorry. I just don’t know how else to explain it to you.”

  The woman’s deep brown eyes bore into mine. “Don’t take me for a fool, girl,” she says. “I am an experienced druid, and I know nonsense when I hear it. I used my powers to detect magic and there was none in that room, save for a signet ring. You are lying. Did you get in through one of the windows?”

  I frown. “Ring? Hey, that’s mine! Where’s my backpack? I left it in that room when I arrived all those weeks ago. Do you have it?”

  The demonic man comes over and leans on his companion’s chair. His eyes are narrowed, suspicious as he speaks to me.

  “How did you come by this object?”

  “I told you – I know the people who live here. Does the name Maleki mean anything to you?”

  The alien-looking woman grips the hilt of her sword again, her eyes narrowing. “You came here for Maleki? Tell us!”

  I sigh. The name had an effect, but I still haven’t established if they are foes of Maleki, or friends who suspect me as some kind of thief or assassin. They are certainly keeping their own counsel and avoiding giving anything away.

  It looks like I have no choice but to tell my tale from the start. At least the bits of it that will make any sense at all to them. I sorely hope this won’t just confirm me as their enemy.

  * * *

  But just then, as I am starting to speak, at last a familiar face appears at the far end of the room. It is Coruff, a witch of this coven and my former travelling companion. Excitement courses through me – at least some of my friends are here, and I will have a way to find out what has been going on!

  She looks just as I remember her, too. Robes, catlike face typical of the felaxian species, and leaning on a gnarled staff. “Daria!” she exclaims, and lurches towards me, enfolding me in a warm furry hug. I smile, but am unable to reciprocate with my hands tied behind me.

  Soon, though, Coruff has confirmed my claim to the others that I am no enemy to the coven. So – it appears that my captors are friends with the witches after all. I suppose I can’t blame them for being cautious – at least they didn’t kill me on the spot.

  Once released from my brief captivity I embrace Coruff properly, and immediately try to find out more about what has become of our companions. “What have you been doing since I last saw you?” I ask. “I’ve been worrying day and night. I’m desperate to help the others. Have you seen any of them?”

  “We have worried about you, too,” she replies. “Things have become dangerous here since we returned from the Badlands, but I had to remain and oversee matters as the last of us flee from the coven. We have chosen to find a new safe house on the Imperial mainland, for our location here had become too well known. Dubasa is increasingly under the grip of the King and his company of Kapa-Vane mercenaries. Their goal seems to be to bring all the Dubasan mercenary armies under Imperial control, and to exterminate any that they see as a threat – users of magic, particularly. I foresee great bloodshed and sorrow.”

  “I see,” I say nodding, though in truth the politics of the area are still rather unclear to me, particularly when it comes to the connections between different realms. Some kind of dictatorship is emerging, then, aligned with the Empire. “But what about the others? Maleki, Garner… and you remember my orcish friend Lugg?”

  “They won’t be back, Daria. I’m telling you, it’s dangerous, and the situation is urgent. We need to go too. In fact, you’re just in time. We have packed up supplies and made arrangements to board a ship today.”

  Another journey to the docks… great. Yes, I am back in the game, and it looks like I’m facing many of the same problems.

  Chapter 5: Josa and van Turk

  The blue demonic man is introduced to me as van Turk, which sounds to me like a Dathmiri name, and it seems that he is in charge of security for the job of relocating the coven. He leads a small private company of m
ercs who have been tasked with protecting Coruff and the others as they gradually vacate the property.

  The woman with the chainmail vest is called Josa, and she is one of the coven members, Coruff explains to me. She didn’t look the type at first, due to her armor, but I suppose I shouldn’t make assumptions.

  One thing is certainly clearer – I now understand the swordswoman’s skepticism when I tried to blind her with talk of magic.

  As Josa described herself as a druid rather than a witch, it seems like there is more that I need to learn about the coven – I had assumed that all of them were witches. “Josa’s speciality is natural magic,” Coruff explains. “Weather spells and the like. And she will be coming with us.”

  “To the Great Swamp?” I ask.

  She gives a slight shrug. “To the continent, anyway. We are going to meet the others in the frontier province of Kamarok. The capital, Sefindarg City, specifically. When we are safely there, we can take stock.”

  I take a step closer towards her. “We are going to help the lizard folk, right? We promised to help P’oytox and his clan.” Privately I am thinking that if the others pull out of this commitment, I will make my own plans when I get to the mainland. A promise is a promise.

  “We will, we will,” she assures me. “We can travel from Sefindarg City upriver towards the swamp. It’s actually the quickest way. But we have to gather our strength and make preparations away from Imperial attention. And there is the case of setting up a safe house or two. When we get there, we’ll…” She pauses, looking towards the door and listening for a moment.

  “Did you hear something?” I ask.

  “I’m not sure. But let’s not discuss the plans any further here. The mercenaries of the Kapa-Vane Company under their leader Snagaras have been a constant threat.”

  Snagaras…it takes me a moment, and then I remember the name – he is the elven mercenary general who I recognized on my return to Vel, and who I had previously seen thieving a necklace in the streets.

  “Why?” I ask.

  “Things have changed in the last few weeks, Daria. The Kapa-Vanes began as nothing more than an annoyance. They are a small private mercenary group, just one of many on Dubasa. They had strange beliefs, too – something of a cult for the sun god, Fanatos.

  “But now with the King trying to control everything that happens, the Kapa-Vanes have taken the role of his own private army. They have sucked up some of the smaller companies and greatly increased their numbers.”

  Looking away from the door, she steps back towards me. “Anyway, as I said, we need to hurry – there is a ship leaving today. I can explain the situation further on our way to the docks.”

  For the next ten minutes Coruff and Josa work to get ready, with two kobolds rushing around and handing them one thing after another. As for me, I’m relieved to find my backpack in a cupboard in the front room of the coven. A check inside reveals that it contains all the same things as I had before. It has just been kept safe for me, it seems. The ring that Josa mentioned is still stowed there. And better still, my weapons have been put in with my other possessions. I must find and thank whichever one of my friends secured my stuff here – Lugg or Garner, most likely.

  I do a quick inventory check to remind me of what I have without having to take the contents out one by one, and see the following:

  Backpack: dagger, daily trail rations (4), empty glass vials (2), fine morning star, fine-quality rope, jeweled knife, light blankets (2), loaf of bread (ruined), quiver with arrows (17), set of high-quality crafting tools, set of spare light clothes, signet ring, waterskins (2). Other items: money pouch.

  The loaf I find and dispose of. My bow was destroyed when we faced off against the lieutenant of the Knights of Dawn – I need another one – and there’s nothing left of the tent that I had. All the same, I feel much better equipped than I did a short while ago.

  Meanwhile, the others have been preparing some materials on the table. The kobolds have been packing a number of sturdy glass vials containing colored liquids into a small wooden chest. Clearly the witches have been getting ready, and I am deeply curious about what these potions do.

  There are also many neatly tied piles of leaves and vials and jars of ingredients; one of the kobolds has now begun carefully wrapping these in lengths of cloth and stowing them neatly into a large leather bag. “For spellcasting,” says Coruff, pointing at the ingredients, “and complex magic which may help us to protect ourselves against the Knights of Dawn.”

  “How so?” I ask.

  “You remember my blocking spell,” she says, “the one with the framework of blue light, which I used up on the cliff?”

  I nod, and she continues. “There is a much more complete protection spell that we can cast together as a coven. It takes a little preparation time, and certain very rare materials are needed, but it can give us protection in advance – ideal if we know we are going to come under attack. We have many of the necessary items here, and we will work to obtain the rest in Sefindarg City, I hope.”

  Coruff hands me a small parcel of food which has also been prepared by the kobolds, and I add that to my backpack. She also gives me a cloak, which I tuck through the backpack straps. I am usually too warm in Dubasa, with its humid, subtropical climate, and the last thing I need right now is an extra layer. However, it will come in handy on the voyage, and I thank my friend. Finally she hands over a fine-looking black leather belt which has a square golden clasp inscribed with two crossed hammers.

  “Thanks – I have a belt already,” I tell her, pointing.

  “Not like this one. It is… enchanted. Please, take it as a gift. I don’t want to leave any such items here, and I have no need of it myself.”

  Without further questions, I strap the belt directly around my waist and secure its golden buckle, not even weaving it through the loops on my canvas breeches. As soon as I do so, I see the following:

  +1 to strength (temporary attribute bonus)

  Very nice – the item seems to give me a magical advantage to my attribute, presumably only while I am actually wearing it. It may even have other features that emerge in specific situations – I can hope! And while the design is probably meant to depict war-hammers, it is also quite appropriate for someone who initially trained as a blacksmith.

  I nod my thanks to Coruff, but she is already busy packing up a small shoulder bag of her own, and calling out some last-minute instructions to the kobolds, who nod obediently.

  I move through to the front room, via a hidden doorway with which I am now very familiar, and wait for the others just inside the main entrance of the coven house. Before long, the kobolds come to the main door, ready to carry some of the luggage.

  * * *

  Josa pulls her hood low over her face as we walk away from the front door, and indicates to me to do the same. “You have been given a cloak – do you know how to use it or not?” she asks snarkily.

  I don’t know if she is tense, mean, or just maintains a lingering distrust of me, but I certainly don’t feel the warmth and friendship from her that I have experienced from her fellow coven members Maleki and Coruff.

  The kobolds walk about a dozen yards ahead of us, and are moving briskly despite each of them being weighed down, one with the chest of potions and the other with the leather bag with magical ingredients. As we walk, I take the opportunity to find out more about the coven, and the reason for the secrecy.

  “Have the coven been under attack?”

  Josa gives a slight nod. “They have no restraint now, the Kapa-Vane Company. But the house itself should be safe, even with us having left. There are magical wards in place, as long as one of our trusted allies is available to keep the enchantments current. Van Turk will appoint someone to watch out for any interference, and then come to join us. He’s a mercenary too, very skilled in combat. But anyway, I think our enemies might leave the place alone, now. It’s us they are interested in.”

  I look around. “We could do with
van Turk’s protection here, then, couldn’t we?”

  Josa nods. “An astute question. We considered leaving with him, but in the end decided to go lower profile. I don’t want to attract any attention, not here or at the docks. The last thing we need is for Snagaras to figure out that we are clearing out. This is the way that the others have been leaving – quietly, and one at a time.”

  “Fair enough. Perhaps it’s best not to trust mercenaries, anyhow.”

  The two exchange a quick glance, and then Coruff looks back at me, baring her short sharp teeth in a grin. “They are partners, van Turk and Josa. They go way back. There is nothing to fear from him. I tell you, I would trust him with my life.”

  “As would I, of course,” Josa adds. “Besides – I want to leave the safe house occupied. He will take a shift at that role, and one of his comrades will relieve him in an hour or so. Though it’s a pity…”

  She stops, eyes widening, and I look ahead to see that an arrow protruding from the chest of one of the pair of kobolds. The unfortunate creature sinks to the ground and then rolls slightly towards the side of the street, while the heavy leather bag he had been holding thumps to the ground. The other kobold immediately scurries over to the side of the street where he backs against the alley wall, clutching the chest with the potions. There is terror written across its face.

  “We must get out of here,” growls Coruff, and begins to step backwards, chanting something beneath her breath.

  Chapter 6: The Streets

  I look beyond where the kobolds had been standing and count six armed men advancing. If they’re mercenaries, then they aren’t dressed in a typical way – there is no uniform, and each has different equipment. Two have longbows, one a crossbow, and the others carry axes and swords.